National Coalition Party of Rutania
| Website = www.natco.rut | politics = Politics of the Commonwealth of Rutania | political parties = Political Parties of the Commonwealth of Rutania | elections = Elections in the Commonwealth of Rutania | |Seats2 Title = Governorships|Seats2 = }} The National Coalition Party is a liberal and conservative "catch-all" centre-right political party in the Commonwealth of Rutania. The NCP has roots in other political parties, most notably Labor, Moderates, Progressive Conservatives, Liberals, Free Democrats, Social Democrats, and the Labour Party. History Following the failure of the Rutanian House of Representatives to elect a government after the double elections of 4289, Adam Pollard, a management consultant, decided to launch a new party to protest the major parties that he felt were ineffective in the House. Under Pollard Adam Pollard's first leadership team consisted of five members: Pollard, Tony Ivey, Margaret Catto, George Carlisle, and Samantha Hewitt. In January 4293, Pollard released the party’s first election manifesto – months ahead of the scheduled November general election. Pollard also announced that the party would not contest the presidential election, as he did not believe it necessary to have both a president and a prime minister. He suggested that the Head of State be hereditary and symbolic while the Head of Government chair the cabinet. Consequently, Pollard made it clear that his party’s disapproval of the nation’s presidency also meant that the party would not endorse another candidate for the role. Notably, Pollard campaigned heavily on the reintroduction of titles for the nobility. The center right generally supported this proposal although the House ultimately rejected it by a relatively narrow 334-416 vote. Pollard also pushed for a significant reduction in the size of the House of Representatives. He argued that there should be a maximum of 150 representatives in the House. This proposal was met with widespread derision from the major parties, although roughly a third of the House supported Pollard’s measure. He also attempted to reform the House by proposing that members no longer be exempt from any civil or criminal liability for their actions or speech during their time in office. He also prompted a national debate over the nation’s national service requirements. Pollard argued that there should be no mandatory military or civilian national service. While public opinion generally supported Pollard, the House overwhelmingly rejected his measure. Throughout the next months, the party announced a slate of 300 candidates for the House of Representatives. During this time, Eve Waters, David Mallory, Denis Brennan, Roger Quand, and Tilly Gregory became key figures within the party hierarchy. The party’s leadership privately set a target of electing 50 representatives to the House. The intention was for the party to ultimately hold the balance of power in the House and join government. The November 4293 elections proved to be a massive success for the party. The National Coalition Party won nearly 20% of the vote and claimed 149 seats in the House. Adam Pollard immediately started negotiations to join government. After a month, Prime Minister Royce Blood resigned and in April 4294, President Hiram Blythe asked Pollard to form a government. Pollard's government was approved by the House by a vote of 398-83. In November 4297, Pollard's government was overwhelmingly defeated and the governing coalition lost its majority in the House of Representatives. Pollard immediately announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister and Party Leader. He would stay on in both positions until a new government could be formed. Under Curtis Under Luke Curtis, the party focused heavily on diversifying the party. After just under two years as leader, Curtis instituted a massive reshuffle of the party’s front bench. Consequently, a number of the party’s founders stepped down and retired from the House. Curtis resigned as leader immediately after the results of the November 4301 elections were announced. The party lost nearly half its seats in the House. Under Gillard After Luke Curtis resigned, he was replaced on an interim basis by Richard Gillard. Gillard proved to be a highly effective party leader. As leader, he left the Rutanian Center for Right-Wing Reform group and helped bring down the government a year after the inconclusive elections of 4301. The November 4302 elections were the first early elections in 13 years. Nonetheless, the party lost an additional seven seats. Gillard stepped down in January 4304, after the House was finally able to approve a government. Under Woodward Olivia Woodward became the first woman to lead the party after she defeated Rab Montgomery in January 4304. The caucus was divided between the two candidates but ultimately Montgomery changed his vote to Woodward in the next round to allow her to claim the leadership. Woodward's accession to the leadership marked a major change within the party. Women now held eight briefs out of 17. In addition, the party's front bench consisted of four persons of color and three LGBTQ politicians. Furthermore, with these new appointments, the average age of the party’s front bench dropped to 47. The November 4306 elections proved to be a massive disappointment for the party. Piers Paulus was selected by the party to run for the Rutanian presidency and won just 5.37% of the vote. The party also lost a seat in the House. This put Olivia Woodward in an uncomfortable position as she anticipated that the party would double its presence in the House. However, Woodward was able to lead coalition negotiations and bring Paulus into government as Minister for Finance. The party performed even worse in the November 4310 elections. Instead of immediately resigning, Woodward announced her intention to stand down while also attempting to rebrand the party as the Democratic Alliance. The entire National Coalition Caucus ceased to exist as of December 31, 4310. Federal Leaders Front Bench Electoral History See Also *Leadership History of the National Coalition Party of Rutania *Front Bench History for the National Coalition Party of Rutania *List of National Coalition Party Leadership Contests